Label-moistening machine.



No; 727,341. PATEN'I'ED MAY 5, 1 903.. I C. FREIHOFER & F. HANSON.

LABEL MOISTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13. 1902. no MODEL.

wnummmi mum Tn I

Patented'May 5, 1903.

UNrrnD STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

CHARLES FREIHOFER AND FREDERICK HANSON, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

LA BEL-MOISTENING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,341, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed December 13, 1902. Serial No. 135,032. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES FREIHOFER and FREDERICK HANSON, citizens of the United States, and residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Label-Moistening Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in machines for applying liquid or mucilaginous material to a web of paper cloth or similar material, having for its object the provision of a device more especially designed for the application of moisture to a continuous web of labels, which device shall have separate compartments for the roll into which said web is formed for use and for the liquid to be applied thereto.

Afurther object of the inventionis to so arrange its parts that they shall be convenient to adjust and operate,whi1e being at the same time of simple and inexpensive construction and of a form as to be conveniently carried by an operator.

These objects we attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional elevation of our improved device, showing the hinged covers in their open position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device, the covers being shown as closed. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the roller for the reception and support of a roll of labels, showing the detail construction of its spindle; and Fig. 5 is an elevation of a portion of the inside of one of the compartments of the device, illustrating the detail construction of one of the bearings for the reception of the shaft of the roller.

In the above drawings, A and B represent the lower portions of two cylindrical casings, each having covers A and B, respectively, and rigidly connected by a bar a, to which both casings are held by bolts or rivets. There is fixed to said bar near its middle point an upwardly-extending portion ct,having its end turned over to form ahook, asshown, whereby the device as a whole may be suspended from any suitable support.

From Fig. 1 it will be noted that the easing A and its cover A form two substantially equal portions pivotally connected together by a hinge a joining their curved peripheries. Guide pieces, of which one is shown at a serve to hold the cover A in its proper position with regard to the lower portion of the casing when the former is in its closed position, and the sides of each section of said casing are out out or recessed,as shown at a, for the reception of a shaft or spindle a for the support of a spool a designed to carry a roll formed of the web of labels. It will be seen from Fig. 4 that the ends of the shaft of are of a slightly-diminished diameter relatively to the main portion, so that the whole is suitably retained in its bearings, the said main portion of the shaft being, moreover, recessed, as shown, and having in the depression thus formed a spring a rigidly fastened at a which by pressing upwardly against the spool a prevents the same from turning on the shaft (1 The cover of the casing is provided with a slot or opening a of slightly greater length than the width of a label for the passage of the strip of labels, and there is provided adjacent to said slot a a roller a to prevent the possibility of the web of paper being cut by the sharp edges of the opening, as well as to diminish the friction.

The second casing B has, like the first casing, its cover B constructed as a portion of its cylindrical body and pivoted thereto by a hinge b, permitting said cover to open to one side and not'in the plane of the cylindrical casing, as in the case of the cover A for the vessel A. The cover B is cut away at b to permit of the passage of the string or web of labels fro'mthe first casing into the casing B, and there are rollers b to decrease edges of the opening.

A guide-roller O is revolubly supported within the casing 13 by means of a tubular shaft 0, provided with yielding spindle or bearing points a, which enter conical depressions b in pieces of metal I)", soldered or otherwise firmly fixed to the inside walls of said casing. There is a tapering or triangular notch b formed in each piece I), having-its vertex directed toward the bearing-recess b and forming a guide-throat for the spindlethe friction of said string of labels upon the point 0'. Said bearing-points are retained within the tubular shaft 0 by means of setscrews, of which one is shown at 0 these passing through said shaft and engaging an annular recess formed in each of said points, while springs c are contained within the hol low shaft 0 and act upon the inner ends of the spindle-points, tending always to force them outwardly.

In use a roll of labels is placed upon the spool a and after the end of said roll has been passed through the opening a the cover A is turned to its closed position and held there by means of a pivoted catch. (Shown at al The roller 0 having been previously removed, a string of labelsis placed across the opening of the casing B, its cover being moved to the position shown in Fig. 1, and the roller 0 is replaced in its bearings, it being seen that the throats b in the two bearing-pieces b guide the spindlepoints toward and into their bearings b the springs c yielding sufficiently to permit said points to pass over the portions of the pieces 19 between the end of the throat and the said bearing. These springs immediately thereafter force the spindle-points outwardly into said bearings, below which we preferably place small blocks or bars I) to prevent the possibility of the spindle-points being forced below their bearings. After the desired liquid with which it is desired to moisten the string of labels has been placed in the casing B (and the liquid is preferably introduced before the said labels are put in position) the cover B is moved to its closed position and retained therein by means of the catch 6 the web of labels entering one of the cut-away portions b of the cover and after extending around the guideroller 0, as shown in Fig. l, passing out of the casing through the second set of cutaway portions b. The hooked bar c is primarily designed to engage the belt of an operator, so that he will have both hands free to manipulate the labels and the objects to which they are to be applied, it being the intention that said labels shall be uniformly and automatically moistened or gummed, so that they will readily adhere to anything upon which they are placed immediately upon being drawn from the casing.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination of two casings, one for a roll of labels and the other for the reception of material to be applied thereto, with a bar rigidly connecting said casings, having means whereby the whole may be detachably secured to a support, substantially as described.

2. The combination of two substantially cylindrical casings, a bar rigidly connecting the same, said bar havinga hooked portion fixed to it whereby the device may be held to a support, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a casing having a cover thereto, a supporting device for a roll of labels carried by said casing and having bearings common to the cover and to the main portion of the casing, with a second casing rigidly connected to the first and also having a cover, a guide-roller in said second casing for causing a string of labels from the first casing to pass in contact with material within the second casing, substantially as described.

4. The combination of two casings connected together, one of the same having a cover hinged to it and opening in the plane of the casings, a second casing also having a hinged cover and constructed to open to one side thereof, with a device for supporting a roll of labels in the first casing, and a guide-roller in the second casing whereby the web of labels from the first casing is compelled to pass in contact with material in the second casing, substantially as described.

5. The combination of two casings, one of the same having a shaft rotatably supported therein, said shaft having a recessed portion and a spring in said port-ion, a spool on said spindle held from turning relatively thereto, by said spring, said second casing having within it a guide-roller whereby a string of labels from the first casing is caused to pass in contact with material contained in the second casing, substantially as described.

6. The combination of two casings connected together, one of the same being made in two parts hinged together, a shaft held in bearings having portions common to both of the sections of the casing, a spool on said shaft for a roll of labels, means whereby the spool is caused to turn with the shaft, and means in the second casing for guiding a string of labels from the first casing in contact with material in said second casing, substantially as described.

7. The combination of two casings connect ed together, means for supporting a roll of labels in the first casing, with a guide-roller in the second casing whereby a string of labels is caused to pass in contact with any desired material contained within said second casing, said guide-roller having a longitudinallyyielding supporting structure whereby it is revolubly supported within the second casing, substantially as described.

8. The combination of two casings connected together, means for supporting a roll of labels in the first casing, with a guide-roller in the second casing whereby a string of labels is caused to pass in contact with any desired material contained within said second casing, said guide-roller having a longitudinallyyielding supporting structure whereby it is revolubly supported within said second casing, said guide-roller having a tubular spindle and yielding bearing-points, with bearings in the second casing for said bearingpoints, substantially as described.

9. The combination of two connected casings, one of the same having means for supporting a roll of labels, the interior walls of the second casing being provided with bearin gs, a guide-roller and bearing-points for engaging said bearings, with means for guid ing said points into the bearings, substantially as described.

10. The combination of two casings, one having means for supporting a roll of labels, the second havinga guide-roller provided with a supporting-spindle and having bearing-recesses for the accommodation of the said spin dle, with a piece formed to guide the end of the guide-roller spindle into said bearings, substantially as described.

11. The combination of a casing, having pieces containing bearings fastened to its interior walls, a tapering throat in each, said pieces leading to the bearings and a roller having a longitudinally-yielding spindle con structed to be supported by said bearings with stops beyond the bearings for limiting the 

